By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has opened talks with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on possible collaboration, particularly around sharing biometric technology to support the Board’s examination processes.
The discussions came to light on Friday when JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, led members of the Board’s management team on a courtesy visit to INEC’s headquarters in Abuja.
Prof. Aina said the visit was meant to formally introduce JAMB’s new management to INEC and to explore ways the two federal agencies could deepen their existing relationship. He commended INEC for its continued patronage of JAMB’s services in conducting its recruitment exercises, noting that both agencies share similar operational needs, particularly their dependence on biometric technology and identity verification systems to safeguard the integrity of their processes.
Citing these shared needs, Prof. Aina appealed to INEC to consider making some of its biometric verification machines available for use during JAMB’s examinations. He explained that the request was driven by a desire to sustain quality service delivery without raising the fees charged to candidates.
“Our request is essentially about resource optimisation,” he said. “We want to continue giving our candidates the best possible services within the current fee regime without having to increase the cost to them. If a sister agency has resources that are not currently in use, there is nothing wrong in exploring whether those resources can be deployed to support another government agency.”
Responding, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, welcomed the delegation and praised JAMB’s role in advancing the education of Nigerian youths. He said the Commission would review the request, directing its Director of Information and Communications Technology to assess the availability, condition and suitability of any equipment that could be deployed for JAMB’s use.
Prof. Amupitan described the visit as a step toward stronger institutional synergy, adding that federal agencies stand to gain greater efficiency by identifying areas of collaboration and shared expertise. He also pledged to pay a reciprocal visit to JAMB’s headquarters at a later date, noting that such exchanges would help both institutions better understand each other’s operations and uncover further areas of cooperation.
Both institutions agreed to continue discussions on the areas identified and to explore additional opportunities for collaboration aimed at improving public service delivery.
